As a future healthcare provider, I am learning a key concept when educating patients: be firm but kind; and it's ok to not get your point across. Many of the chronic diseases we face in healthcare require lifestyle changes and perpetual monitoring, which all hinge on our patients' vigilance. At a wellness class I teach once a month, I ...

As NPs & PAs approached the holiday weekend (and with any luck, a few days off), and editor Michelle Perron Pronsati and senior associate editor Jennifer Ford arrived at the AAPA IMPACT conference, our social networks, community pages and articles buzzed with thoughtful comments and many heated opinions. Always a controversial topic ...

We sat in silence for what seemed an eternity. Her face was still, and she was holding back tears. She was uncomfortable. I was, too. Awkward silence engulfed us like dense, heavy fog. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. I tried filling the air with chatter: ''Nice shoes,'' I said. What's the meaning of silence? Is it just an empty space ...